Double Bass Too Much Sustain

[Randy Howard]

Hi all,
I am using a Gollihur Bass Max bridge PU and a GK MB115 combo amp. The problem I am having is that the sustain is just way too much. I need to rely that the tone will decay in a predictable way but it just goes on and on. And please do not tell me about technique and string muting, I already do that. I really want to achieve a more genuine acoustic sound. Un-amplified that is not a problem. Thanks for the help.

Randy

 

[Deltatim]

Foam is your friend.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Damped (arco) strings would help you even better than foam which damps mostly the higher frequencies but not so much the fundamental that still goes on for a long time.
Probably Jargar or Kaplan, maybe also Belcanto.
Naked gut might work too as long as you do not use a magnetic pickup.

 

[Carl Hillman]

Raise your bridge?

 

[Maple]

typical EUB’s are pretty stiff and don’t dampen the vibration as mush as a real upright. I had spiros on my EUB and it had the sustain of an electric bass.
I switched to some old d’addario orchestras and now the sustain feels more natural.

 

[donotfret]

You've mentioned the pickup and the amp, but which bass are you talking about? And which strings are you using?

 

[flojob]

“Take the Horn outcha’ mouf”

 

[BobKay]

Are you sure it is not feedback that you think is sustain?

 

[Randy Howard]

Are you sure it is not feedback that you think is sustain?

Could be, but my amp is 12 feet away and turned 9 degrees off axis. Doesn't sound like feedback which is usually distorted and produces gain in the signal. Could turn my amp 180 I suppose?

 

[Randy Howard]

“Take the Horn outcha’ mouf”

Huh??

 

[Randy Howard]

You've mentioned the pickup and the amp, but which bass are you talking about? And which strings are you using?

Ooops. It is an acoustic upright bass, Kay circa 1944 with nickel Thomastik flatwounds. Think I probably posted to the wrong forum. My bad.

 

[Grant the Canuk]

Ooops. It is an acoustic upright bass, Kay circa 1944 with nickel Thomastik flatwounds. Think I probably posted to the wrong forum. My bad.

I assume that when you wrote that you have Thomastic flats that you have spirocores. They are the ones with the red silks at both ends. These strings are known for thir twang and sustain. If you want something that thumps you wont be happy with these strings until they are very old and dead. I'd recommend you try some Belcantos or maybe correlli 380s or maybe pirastro EP slap guts. All of these strings have a more thumpy pizzicato than spirocores.

 

[Groove Doctor]

Yep, some strings will sustain heaps when amplified no matter what you try.

 

[lurk]

This is one of the biggest issues when amplifying a bass. All piezos screw up the decay envelope in my experience. All mics are better before feedback, but then are a pain. Good luck. Experiment with different gadgets and techniques. If you solve this, spread the word!

 

[DoubleMIDI]

It is not so much the material of the transfixing element that makes the decay different, it is the position of the transducer at the bass. We hear sound from the whole area of the top (and back) of the bass, not from a special vibrating point at the bridge.
So a well placed contact transducer at the top has a similar decay as the the sound the top radiates in some distance.

And the material, shape and integration to the bass system (like high or low pressure on the transducer) of the piezo makes a difference with the "quack". The crystals resonate at a much higher frequency (more audible quack) than plastic piezo foils.
So piezos are not all the same thing.

 

[bassfran]

Just change your strings. There are plenty available that will thump and die instead of go "mwah", if that's what you're after.

 

[Roger Davis]

Or perhaps use six year old Spiro Mitts?

 

[Dr. Love]

I have haven't been able to try it yet, but I've wondered if a noise gate could be set up to provide a more "natural acoustic" decay to amped uprights.

You might also play with the pickup fit/placement to see if there is another position that might give more favorable results.

 

[The Biz]

This might be obvious, but I can get a great array of tone difference with minute movement of the pickup in the wing. Maybe it needs to be chocked a bit more (or less). Steal your sax player's reed if necessary to tighten it up a bit in the wing.

Not sure it will necessarily solve your issue, but it's worth a try.

 

[Randy Howard]

Man, I am amazed at all the great advice I have gotten from you folks. Thanks so much. My strings are Tomastik Sprocores and they are really old, like 17 years old so they should maybe be more mellow now? They produce a really nice mwah but are percussive depending on the attach. I tend to play like Ray Brown with plenty of energy on the attack, and still do. By fooling around with the amp settings I have been able to reduce the sustain noticeably while still retaining a good sound. I used to play through a mike on a short stand and really that is the best IMHO. Lets you rotate the bass or step into the mike for different sounds. I will try some of the other strings suggested. Thanks again.